Welcome

Geographies of the Menopause

What is it like to be living with the menopause in the contemporary UK?  How does it affect women’s relationships with their bodies and with others?  How does it shape their everyday lives? These questions are at the heart of this in-depth research aiming to share women’s everyday experiences of the peri-menopause and menopause.

This project involved interviews with 40 women across the four rural and urban study sites: London, Bristol, Stroud (Gloucestershire) and rural Monmouthshire (South Wales).  Our sample represents women of different ages, across different walks of life and ethnic and cultural backgrounds; in work and retired, and with varying levels of caring responsibilities.  About a third of our participants (14) were women of colour and two thirds were white.

Through their generosity in sharing their experiences with us, we are able to create a snapshot of the menopause as a lived experience in the UK today.  We invite you to explore early findings and dissemination plans from this study through the tabs above.  More detailed analysis will emerge through the rest of 2025 and into 2026.

This research is not medical, and does not represent medical advice – if you are concerned about anything relating to your health, please contact your GP.

This project has been funded through a grant from the British Academy and supported by staff in the School of Geography and Planning at Cardiff University.